1. Technical Field
This invention is generally directed to gas burners and more particularly to a gas burner that simulates the appearance of the glowing embers found in a wood-fueled fire. Specifically, the present invention relates to a burner pad for a gas fireplace burner that is fabricated from a noncombustible porous material that allows gas to seep through the pad where it is ignited to form a low profile flame over substantially the entire surface area of the pad to simulate the appearance of the glowing embers of a wood-fueled fire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The warm glowing look of a wood-fueled fire is highly desired by people who purchase fireplaces. A majority of people only desire the appearance of a wood-fueled fire without the hassle of finding and preparing fuel, disposing of the ashes, lighting the fires, and maintaining the chimney. The appearance of the glowing embers under a wood-fueled fire is one of the primary reasons a wood-fueled fire is more desirable than a clean-fuel burning fire such as the fire created in a natural gas fireplace. Glowing embers are not created in a natural gas fireplace because no solid fuel is being combusted to create embers. The natural gas fireplace is thus much cleaner than a wood-fueled fireplace but lacks the desired visual effect of the glowing embers. The glowing embers give the fire a warm appearance by lighting up the bottom of the fireplace with a rolling, glowing flame. It is thus desired in the art to provide a clean-fuel fire that simulates the appearance of the glowing embers of a wood-fueled fireplace to provide a pleasing visual appearance to the fireplace.
One type of gas log burner assembly presently in use today with gas-fueled fireplaces consists of an open-top burner pan which is filled with a loose porous material such as sand, vermiculite, ceramic particles or the like. A perforated gas supply pipe is disposed in the pan and is covered by the loose material. In these prior art burner pans, the gas is discharged from the supply pipe and filters in a random fashion through the porous medium to a combustion area above the medium. Gas logs may be supported by a grate in the combustion area to provide the appearance of burning wood logs.
Such burner assemblies must be carefully installed by a person who knows how to arrange the burner and the loose material to provide a desirable appearance to the fireplace. If the loose material or burner is improperly installed, the gas to be burned is not properly delivered to the gas logs and the appearance of the fireplace is degraded. The homeowner can easily alter the appearance of the fireplace during cleaning by disturbing the loose particles that fill the burner box. It is thus desired in the art to provide a gas burner pan that evenly distributes the gas to be burned to the gas logs without the use of a loose material.
Another gas burner known in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,310. The gas burner disclosed in the patent produces a glowing effect by providing a cover wall over the typical open top of a burner pan. A gas supply pipe is buried within a non-combustible porous medium, such as sand, within a gas distribution chamber formed by the wall of the burner pan. The cover wall has a series of gas outlet holes arranged across the plate and an elongated slot at the upper rear edge of the cover wall. An artificial log is mounted on the top and rear of the burner pan and extends along the elongated slot and has a rough textured concave front surface. The slot and the holes in the top cover wall and the concave surface of the artificial log control and direct the flow of gas from the supply pipe into a combustion area formed in front of the artificial log to provide controlled combustion of the gas within and adjacent to the concave front surface of the log to provide a glowing effect to the rough textured surface of the artificial log.
Another gas burner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,073. The burner disclosed in this patent employs a predetermined pattern of gas ports which direct the gas and thus the flames into desired locations. A layer of porous ceramic material which is impregnated with metallic salts may be used with the burner plate to produce lengthening and coloring of the gas flames of the gas burner. The patent further discloses that a rocking or sliding support of the flat gas burner imparts movements and or different length to the colored flames.
Although these prior art devices are suitable for their intended purposes, there remains room for improvement in the art for a gas burner that simulates the appearance of the glowing embers of a wood-fueled fire.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a gas burner that simulates the glowing embers of a wood-fueled fireplace.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a gas burner having a burner pad that may be formed into a wide variety of different shapes but is dimensionally stable once formed.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a gas burner having a porous burner pad as it upper surface such that the burner may be positioned beneath gas logs to provide the glowing ember effect.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a gas log having a sidewall formed from the burner pad that allows gas to seep through the entire sidewall such that the gas may burn over substantially the entire surface of the log.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a burner pad that has an outer surface that is textured to simulate the appearance of embers.
Yet a further objective of the present invention is to provide a burner pad having gas ports that allow gas to be directed to selected areas to create large flames at those areas.
Still a further objective of the present invention is to provide a burner pad that resembles glowing embers without creating a dangerous level of carbon monoxide from the burning process.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a burner pad that is of simple construction, which achieves the stated objectives in a simple, effective and inexpensive manner, which solves the problems, and which satisfies the needs existing in the art.
These and other objectives of the invention are achieved by a gas burner including a burner pan having an open top; and a porous burner pad having an interior surface and an exterior surface enclosing the burner pan by covering the open top of the burner pan to define a gas distribution chamber between the pad and the burner pan, the pad having substantially stable dimensions; the pad adapted to allow gas to seep through the pad from the gas distribution chamber to the exterior surface where it may be ignited.